Remembrance Day is on Monday, November 11, and Royal Canadian Legions throughout the Kootenays are preparing for local ceremonies.
“Remembrance Day started after the end of the First World War so that we could honour the fallen and their sacrifices. These individuals who volunteered to protect our country and our way of life suffered under extreme, unending conditions. Their death, their victory through their death, gave us the promise of the future and the Canada we know today,” said Bill Haire, president of Nelson’s Royal Canadian Legion No. 51.
Residents are encouraged to attend their local ceremonies and pay their respects to the soldiers who have served or still serve our country.
The annual Remembrance Day Ceremony in Nelson will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, with veterans and participants gathering in front of the Legion on Victoria Street before marching towards the cenotaph at 10:40 a.m. Cenotaph services start just before 11:00 a.m.
In Trail, Legion members and supporters will gather along Eldorado Street to take part in the annual Remembrance Day parade at 10:30 a.m., with the cenotaph ceremony held shortly after.
In Castlegar, parade marshals will gather outside West’s Department Store at 10:30 a.m. The Remembrance Day Ceremony begins at 10:50 a.m. at Kinsmen Park.
Regardless of whether you can attend your local ceremony, Haire says remembrance is a year-round commitment and urges everyone to pay respects to a soldier whenever the opportunity presents itself.
“We encourage everyone to remember a veteran and thank them for their service throughout the year, not just on Remembrance Day. If you see a veteran on the street, walk up to them and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ Without their dedication, without their determination, and without their ability to guarantee our freedom, we would not exist as we are today.”
More information on local remembrance day ceremonies can be found here.
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